The Mage and the Wolf
by Mistress-of-the-Moons
Summary: "Mage"...it was a word Nadia Hawke learned to say at a very young age since she was one, like her father. This is the story of how the shy, timid Hawke became a leader and managed to stop a war. Join her as she faces unimaginable losses, betrayal, love, and friendship. Nadia never asked for any of this...but it was her destiny...and eventually she would become a champion.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

_Mage_. It was a word Nadia Hawke learned to say at a very young age, right after the usual 'mama' and 'papa'. She learned this strange word from hearing her parents whisper it softly to one another in the dark corners of their small home. Nadia, however, would not know the word's meaning for some time, yet she often associated it with certain things her father did. For instance, Malcolm Hawke could light candles simply by waving his hand over the candlewick. An ordinary person, such as Nadia's mother, Leandra, could not do this 'trick', another word Nadia knew how to say and what Malcolm liked to call the strange things he could perform. Her father could do other miraculous things as well. Whenever Nadia was sick, for instance, all he had to do was run his hands over her stomach and she would feel better. Any cuts and scrapes she acquired from playing outdoors stopped bleeding and disappeared from her skin whenever her father's hands erupted in a beautiful blue glow. Malcolm also liked to read large books that had funny swirls emblazoned on their front. Nadia would often sit in his lap and look at the gibberish that was printed on the page, not making anything out of it, but liking the pictures that were in it that had little people making fire and ice with only their hands. Malcolm also carried a stick around with him at times…but this was no ordinary stick, it was really long and made of iron…a 'staff' he called it. Nadia was never allowed to hold it though, much to her disappointment.

"Tis too dangerous for you now, my love." he'd always whisper as he laid the intricate staff atop a high shelf where Nadia could not reach it.

"Will I ever be able to make things happen like you do, Papa?" Nadia wondered as she stared up at him.

Malcolm smiled at her…but this smile did not reach his eyes.

"Perhaps…but it would be better if you did not gain that ability, my love."

Oh but she did. It first happened when Nadia was around eight. She sat at the kitchen table eating some soup thing Leandra cooked up, not really listening to Bethany and Carver, her two younger, twin siblings, argue about something when Nadia decided she wanted something to spice up her soup. She asked several times for her sister to hand her the pepper, but Bethany was too enthralled defending the notion of why she still carried around her teddy bear, 'Frolley' to her brother to hear her. Nadia sighed and looked at the pepper holder that was all the way across the table, far out of her reach. She narrowed her eyes slightly, blowing some of her strawberry blonde hair out of her eyes and concentrated on the pepper holder, and that object alone. Soon enough, it slid across the table towards her, but tipped over before it reached her. Nadia and her siblings jumped in surprise as they heard a crash and turned to look at their mother who had dropped a bowl in surprise. Her eyes were wide and fearful as she slowly turned and set them on Nadia.

"Did you do that?" she asked softly.

Nadia nodded. Why did her mother look so scared? Malcolm always had things sliding across the table towards him. It was then when he entered the room from outside. His large grin faded from his face as he looked from wife to his children.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

Leandra turned to him.

"We need to talk." She whispered.

Malcolm raised his eyebrows and nodded.

"Kids, why not run off and play outside in the garden, it's lovely out today and I believe I just saw a baby turtle."  
Bethany and Carver immediately ran from the table, glad for once they didn't have to eat the nasty green vegetables that their mother had set out for them. Nadia stood too and walked out of the room. Instead of following her siblings, however, she hid in the shadows and listened closely to her parent's voices. She peeked over the corner of the wall and watched them. Malcolm bent down and helped Leandra pick up the shards of the bowl she dropped earlier.

"What's happened, love? You're as pale as death." He whispered.

Leandra took a deep breath and sighed. She lifted her brown eyes to stare into his icy blue ones.

"Nadia made the pepper holder slide across the table." She replied.

Malcolm blinked and looked down. He was quiet for a few moments before saying,

"Leandra…we knew this was a possibility. I am a full blood mage, and your family held traces of magic…we knew exactly what could happen if we ever had children."

Leandra nodded.

"I know…but I didn't think she'd show it so soon…she's only eight, Malcolm!"

He smiled slightly. Nadia noticed that was the smile he had whenever he was proud of something.

"Two years younger than me when I first showed signs." He noted.

Leandra smiled and chuckled softly, but her brow furrowed again soon after.

"What will we do, Malcolm? It is so dangerous for us as it is…we have done well for as long as we have without the Templars catching onto us…I don't want to leave Lothering, Malcolm. This is a wonderful village…the children have friends here…"

Malcolm lifted her chin so that she would look at him. He placed a soft kiss to her forehead.

"We are safe here, Leandra. You know that. Yes there is the possibility that we are caught…but I find it very slim here. This village has the least amount of Templars in all of Fereldan…we cannot go anywhere else." He mumbled.

Leandra sighed and stood, placing the shards of the bowl on the nearby counter.

"At least Carver and Bethany haven't shown any signs."

Leandra left the room and Malcolm smiled, crossing his arms.

"You can come out now, my dear."

Nadia closed her eyes in defeat and slowly removed herself from her hiding place. She walked towards her father, hanging her head in shame. Malcolm knelt down in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Look at me sweetheart." He whispered.

Nadia looked up at him and stared into his icy blue eyes…a mirror's image of her own. In fact, their eye color was the only way you could tell that they were related. Nadia took more after her mother with the strawberry blonde hair and extremely freckled skin. Well the hair part she got from her, anyway. How she obtained all those freckles was a mystery to Nadia, but her mother told her that her grandmother used to have freckled skin so she probably inherited it from her. Malcolm tilted his head to the side and smiled.

"You already do everything like me and now you are in fact a mage. Oh my dear girl…what will I do with you?"

Nadia grinned, thankful that her father wasn't upset with her listening in, but was still worried about what all this meant.

"Does that mean I get to carry my own staff?" she asked.

Malcolm chuckled and pushed some of her shoulder length hair behind her ear.

"In time, my child. You are just showing the very early stages of magic…I can't even teach you anything yet. But have no fear...you will learn how to control your magic."

And she did. Eventually, Bethany showed signs of magic as well. Knowing that his daughters needed to master their gift, Malcolm snuck them out late every night and into the forest that was near their home. There, beneath the pale blue moon, the Hawke sisters learned how to master their magic. One day they would conjure fire, the next day it would be ice. Eventually, as the years went on, Nadia learned how to summon lightning, one of the hardest elements to control, but did it perfectly and on her first try. Malcolm also taught both of his girls healing, noting often that that was one of the best parts of magic. To heal any wound and cure almost any sickness would be a great asset (especially in the events that would come later). He also warned them of the demons and other dark things that lurked around in the Fade, the place all mages went to while asleep.

"Never, ever bargain with a demon…it will _always_ come back to bite you in the end."

With that knowledge, Malcolm continued on about another certain kind of magic, even darker. 'Blood Magic' he called it…and constantly warned his daughters never to tamper with it, even the idea of it. Malcolm also taught his daughters how to blend in to the crowd and hide from the ever watching Templar's eyes.

"Never perform spells in public. Tell no one of your ability, not even your most trusted friends. If, however, you ever need to defend yourself do not hesitate to do so."

The years passed on and Nadia and Bethany soaked up everything their father taught them. Soon, Nadia came of age and on her eighteenth birthday, after her dear friend, Gregory Reaver went back home with his parents, Malcolm presented her with her gift: her very own staff. Although it was not as intricate as his, Nadia was grateful for it nonetheless. When she picked it up she felt her hands tingle, ready to conjure anything the moment she thought of it. She hugged Malcolm tightly.

"Thank you Father, I couldn't ask for anything better than this."

Malcolm, now nearly all grey and the lines of age more prominent in his face, smiled warmly and patted her on the back.

"You have grown into a fine mage, Nadia. Use your gift for good."

Nadia nodded, vowing to herself that she would never fall to the temptations of a demon…

But found that promise hard to keep within the next months.

Not long after her birthday, Malcolm developed a cough. It was nothing at first, just a simple discomfort here and there…but soon enough the cough grew deeper, raspier, like it was all he could do to breathe again after a fit was over. Nadia and Bethany tried frequently to heal him…but not even magic could cure it…and if magic couldn't cure it…what good would regular medicine do? Their mother bought some anyway though…but it did not help. Soon Malcolm developed excruciating headaches and blood came with his cough…as did a raging fever. Bethany tried healing him again as Nadia held his hand tightly and pressed a cool rag to his forehead. He looked at his daughter and Nadia drew her brows together. Her father had always had a slight tan color to his skin, which was one of the thing's Leandra had told them she admired about their father. His sun kissed skin complemented his black as night hair in his younger days. Looking at him now, however, Nadia noticed just how pale he was…it was as if he was turning into a ghost before he ever even died. Nadia looked up to see her mother sobbing into Carver's chest. He drew his brows together and stroked her back, swallowing hard to hold back his own tears. Nadia turned her attention back to her father and gripped his hand tighter.

"Na…dia…I…take care of…th…em."

With that final sentence, Malcolm closed his eyes and let out a final breath. Nadia looked down and shook with sobs as tears fell from her eyes. Bethany hugged her tightly, sobbing uncontrollably herself. Needless to say, Nadia was not the same after her father died. She tried to be there for her mother…but had difficulty trying to comfort her. Nadia had always been closer to Malcolm than anyone else…and not having him around anymore…it felt as if half of her died with him. While she was strong for her family, when she was alone she let her emotions overtake her. She'd cry, shout, kick, and scream even until she felt better. Really, her only source of comfort came from Gregory. He listened when she needed someone to talk to and he would only say something whenever he was prompted. As time went on, Nadia's heart began to heal from losing her father and she felt happiness once again. She had fallen in love with Gregory, though she dared not tell him her feelings…but had finally come to a happy place again. Her mother, though still saddened by the death of her husband, eventually healed as well as did Carver and Bethany. They were together and happy in their quaint little home in Lothering…and Nadia couldn't ask for more.

Sadly though…that happiness would end as well. It would be snatched right from under her and there wasn't a thing she could do about it, besides face it head on. In the coming years Nadia Hawke would face the unimaginable. She would suffer heavy losses and drastic changes…

It would start with the destruction of her home…but that, sadly, was only the tip of the iceberg.

**A/N: **_I'm back! Well I hope you guys enjoyed this short little prologue as well as meeting the heroine of this story, Nadia Hawke! I'm not sure how frequently this will be updated since I'm working on an original story as well, but we'll see! This will be a long fan fiction you guys, so I hope you're ready to go on another adventure! I'll try and have the next chapter up as soon as I can! Thanks for reading! :)_


	2. Chapter 1: Leaving Lothering

Chapter 1

Leaving Lothering

Nadia stood outside her small home and stared up into the clouds above her. She shivered slightly as a cold wind flew past her, causing her skin to breakout in thousands of little bumps, making her skin resemble that of a freshly plucked goose. What was worse was that they were only in Harvestmere…Wintermarch was still a few months away, but the weather already made it feel like they were there. Nadia sighed and pulled her shawl around her tighter as she picked up her basket and headed towards the merchant stalls. There was going to be a festival today…but since Lothering had acquired so many refugees from fleeing the Darkspawn; she doubted they would still have the celebration. Regardless, she was on a task to retrieve some potatoes from the merchants for her mother, so she set out to do just that. On her way there, Nadia noticed Carver sneak away with some girl he called 'Peaches'. Nadia rolled her eyes at the two and chuckled softly to herself. Carver was an ass nearly all the time, but put him anywhere near Peaches and he'd turn into the nicest, most lovely gentleman ever. Nadia at last made it to the potato stand and returned the greeting from the owner before picking up a few potatoes to inspect them. After she placed three in her basket and paid the man a few copper pieces, she turned to leave, but suddenly her vision was gone as someone had put their hands over her eyes from behind.

"Guess who?"

Nadia smiled as her stomach fluttered in excitement.

"I know that voice…but it has been some time since I've heard it…" she mused to herself.

The hands removed themselves from her eyes and Nadia turned to see Gregory standing behind her. She grinned and hugged him tightly. He hugged her back and lifted her off of the ground slightly.

"It's good to see you again, Nadia!" he exclaimed.

Nadia smiled and nodded as he set her back to the ground. In the six months he'd been away, Gregory hadn't changed much. His hair was still a deep brown in color and his eyes were still the cloudy, mysterious gray that Nadia had become infatuated with over the years.

"How was Denerim?" she asked as she pulled herself out of her thoughts and swept her blue eyes over the rest of him.

Gregory shrugged.

"Alright I suppose, too busy for my tastes though. While I was there I did get this ring."

He said as he held up his hand. Nadia took his hand in hers and inspected the ring. It had a simple silver band and a medium sized green stone, probably a fake emerald, with his initials carved into the stone.

Nadia raised her eyebrows.

"Very spiffy." She noted.

Gregory chuckled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"I thought you might say that. Anyways, what's with all the refugees outside of the town? Surely the Darkspawn haven't progressed far enough to turn out _that_ many people homeless."

Nadia sighed and shook her head sadly.

"It's bad, Gregory. Carver just recently came back from Ostagar..."

Gregory nodded grimly.

"I heard some mixed stories of what happened. The one I'm sticking to is Loghain's betrayal…that one made the most sense, anyway. I take it the festival is off then?"

Nadia shrugged.

"I would assume so, but I haven't heard. I think it would be in bad taste to celebrate something with all of those people camping outside of the village." She replied.

Gregory tilted his head to the side.

"Hmm…you make a good point. Well…this certainly puts a dent in my plans…I was going to ask you to accompany me to the festival…but since we aren't having one perhaps you could meet me out by the lake later? There's something I've been meaning to,"

Before Gregory finished his sentence, an ear splitting scream sounded throughout the air as did loud, billowing growls and battle cries. Before either of them could move, a large ogre tore through the nearby walls that surrounded the village. He picked up a Templar that had went running towards it and crushed him in his hand. The ogre stomped his foot on another villager that went running towards it, which threw Nadia and Gregory off of their own feet. Nadia scrambled to her feet and immediately smelled smoke. She turned and saw that half of the village was on fire! A wave of Darkspawn entered through the hole that the ogre made and set about to slaughtering anyone that stood in their way whether it be man, woman, or child. Nadia's eyes widened. She had never seen a Darkspawn in person before…only heard of them in stories that she listened to as a child. The way they were described in the stories was nothing compared to what they truly looked like. Their flesh was rotten and just seemed to hang onto their faces. It looked as if just a simple breeze would be enough to remove the flesh from their bones. And the stench that they carried with them could only be described as something so rotten...it would make a weak person gag.

The simple market place had now become a makeshift battle ground. The men of the village ran forward with small daggers and knives, intent on saving their homes. Nadia turned to see Carver slaying through one of the taller Darkspawn, trying to protect a small child that stood near him, helplessly calling for his mother. Nadia's heart skipped a beat as she remembered that her mother and Bethany had stayed at home that morning. She took off in the direction of her house as Gregory held off a few Darkspawn that tried to chase after her. Upon reaching her home, she threw open the door to see her Mother scrambling to try and pack things and Bethany yelling at her.

"Mother it's useless!" she shouted.

Leandra shook her head.

"No! We can't just leave everything behind!"

Just then the same ogre that broke through the city gates went crashing into their home, falling backwards as six men overcame it's strength. Nadia pulled her mother out of the way of the ogre and caught her staff as Bethany tossed it to her.

"Mother, we have to leave, _now._" Nadia cried as she pulled her mother away from the wreckage of their house. Leandra shook her head and sobbed, but went with her daughters anyway. Once they made it back outside, rain was pouring from the skies and lighting was flashing brightly. Nadia looked around at the destruction of her village, her home. The ground was now black from where the spilt, tainted Darkspawn blood had eaten through the hearth and bodies of both Darkspawn and villager were strewn about. Nadia ran but ended up tripping over something on the ground. When she turned to look over her shoulder to see what it was…it was the child that Carver was trying to protect earlier…a large bite had been taken out of the side of his neck…and his veins were turning black. Nadia crawled over to him and placed her hands on his chest. She whispered the healing incantation and her hands erupted in a blue glow. Her eyes widened as she ran them over the length of the child's torso. Nearly all of his organs were shutting down, turning black from the Taint. Nadia was then knocked onto her side as a Genlock lunged at her. She shut her eyes and mouth tight so that none of his saliva that was dripping from his teeth would get into them and concentrated hard. A fireball erupted in her hands and she tossed it at him, scrambling to her feet as she watched the wretched creature burn. Nadia looked around and saw no sign of her mother or sister. She swallowed and ran back towards the last place she had seen them. Her eyes stung from the smoke billowing out from the village and it was hard for her to catch her breath. She was also soaked to the bone from the buckets of rain that were pouring from the sky.

"Mother! Bethany! Carver!" she shouted over the screams and roars that surrounded her.

She turned sharply brandishing her staff as she felt a hand on her shoulder and conjured a fireball in her hand. Nadia doused it quickly though as she saw it was Carver.

"Come on, this way! Mother and Bethany are over here!" he shouted above the rumbling thunder.

Nadia followed him and ran through the crowd, jumping over bodies and dodging Darkspawn arrows and axes. She saw her mother and sister eventually in the distance, but also saw Gregory out of the corner of her eye.

"Wait Carver, catch up with them I'll be back!" she shouted.

Carver looked at her like she was mad, but listened anyway. Nadia ran towards Gregory as he took down another Hurlock. He turned to her, breathing heavily, shaking his head to get bits of _something_ out of his dark tresses.

"Gregory, come with us, please!" she cried against the roar of another ogre nearby.

Gregory shook his head.

"I can't. If there's any hope for Lothering it's with me and what remains of the men here. Get to safety, Nadia, I'll find you after all this is over, I swear it!" he shouted.

Tears sprang to Nadia's eyes, but she fought them back and looked into his cloudy gray orbs.

"Gregory…there's something I,"

Before she finished her sentence, Gregory pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. He pulled back and sighed.

"I love you too, Nadia. Here, I want you to have this." He whispered.

He took Nadia's hand in his and placed his ring into her palm before closing her hand around it. Gregory looked into her eyes and pushed some of her bangs that had fallen out of her ponytail behind her ear.

"Remember me, Nadia." He said softly before turning and disappearing into the smoke.

Nadia looked down before clenching her jaw and slipping the ring into her pocket. She looked back up, determined to get her family to safety and ran towards them. Upon reaching them, they all looked at each other and then back at the destruction of Lothering.

"Everything your father and I built…gone." Leandra whispered in anguish.

Nadia pulled her away.

"I know how much Lothering meant to you, to all of us…but we _must_ move on."

They did. They turned their back on their home and ran with nothing but the clothes on their backs and perhaps a few long forgotten copper pieces in their pockets. Along the outskirts of the village, Nadia noted how many bodies she had seen…but lost count of just how many there were. The green grass that she had run through as a barefoot child was now nothing but black ash. Nadia swallowed, her heart breaking with each step she took away from Lothering. She prayed to the Maker that Gregory and the others would be alright…but knew that chances of survival were slim. Eventually, after running for Maker knows how long, Nadia and the others stopped to catch their breath and rest for a moment. She shivered slightly, the cold wind and rain getting to her as water dripped off the end of her nose. Nadia squeezed out the water from her ponytail as she looked at her mother. Bethany and conjured a small fireball for their mother to warm herself just a bit. Nadia looked at Carver who was standing off in the distance, his back turned to them.

"This is just like Ostagar all over again. All those bodies…all that death…we will never escape it."

Bethany drew her brows together.

"Where will we go? We have no food, no clothes, no money…we will starve or freeze to death! We have nothing!" she whispered.

Nadia shook her head and walked over towards her, rubbing her hands together at the small, flickering, flame.

"No…we have each other, that's something." She replied, trying desperately to sound optimistic when she was feeling anything but.

Leandra rested up against a nearby rock, shaking her head and burying her face in her hands. After a moment, she removed her hands from her face as her eyes widened.

"We could go to Kirkwall. My family home is there, your uncle Gamlen is there…we could build a new life and start over." She said softly.

Nadia furrowed her brow and looked at her.

"Kirkwall?" she asked in surprise.

Leandra nodded. Carver shook his head and stepped forward.

"There's no way we'd survive. Kirkwall's crawling with Templars for one thing, and to get there we'd have to get all the way to Gwaren to catch a ship. We can't go back and the only way forward is through the Korcari Wilds…and that place is filled with these accursed creatures." He stated.

Nadia sighed and shrugged.

"There's no other way to go but forward, though Carver. We can't just sit here and wait for the Darkspawn to come." She mumbled.

Carver looked at her.

"Well you're the leader, what do you propose we do?" he asked.

Nadia lifted her gaze to look at him. She was about to reply when they all heard a cry in the very close distance. Nadia ran forward and around a corner to see about five Darkspawn cornering a man and woman. They each took them on, but the man's sword arm was hit and blood gushed out of his wound. Nadia immediately ran forward and helped the couple, casting fire and ice spells until the Darkspawn were defeated. Afterwards, she turned to them and took a step forward. The man immediately took one back.

"Keep your distance, apostate." He said through gritted teeth.

It was at that moment when Nadia realized the man was garbed in Templar armor. The woman he was with had red hair and a freckled face. She looked at him and drew her brows together.

"Hush Wesley, she saved us." She whispered.

He looked at her and winced. Nadia cautiously took another step forward.

"I can heal you if you let me." She offered.

The dark haired man shook his head.

"My arm is lost even with magic." He said softly.

The redhead placed his shield on her arm and helped him stand.

"Then you will have mine, as always."

She turned her attention to Nadia and the others and nodded.

"My name is Aveline Vallen; this is my husband, Wesley."

Nadia introduced herself and her family. Bethany shook her head.

"The Maker sure has a sense of humor…Darkspawn and now a Templar…" she mumbled beneath her breath.

Carver nudged her in the arm so she'd be quiet. Nadia turned her attention back to Aveline and Wesley. Both of them looked tired and worn…they had most likely been running for some time.

"How did you end up out here?" Carver asked.

Aveline set her green eyes on him.

"By fleeing the Darkspawn. We do not know where we go from here, though. The Wilds are to the south and that's where the bulk of the horde is." She said sadly.

"You could come with us to Kirkwall, if you wish. We're trying to get to Gwaren to catch ship." Nadia stated.

Aveline and Wesley looked at each other.

"It's the only way, dear." She whispered.

After a moment, Wesley nodded. He turned his attention back to Nadia and her family and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"We accept…despite that this goes against everything in the Order. Step out of line once though and I will have you put down, mage." He warned.

Aveline closed her eyes and shook her head, but didn't say anything. Nadia looked at him.

"Fair enough."

The group continued on in silence. They were ambushed several times by small hordes of Darkspawn…but with Aveline's help the foul creatures were quickly dispatched. Nadia was beginning to get her hopes up when they made it to a clearing…only to have those hopes completely dashed. A large wave of Darkspawn ran towards them…and they had an ogre with them as well. This ogre, however, was not like the ones that attacked the village. This ogre's horns were much larger and sharper…and if it was possible, he looked eviler than the last one. He was most likely an alpha. Nadia turned and threw a fireball at a small wave that was coming towards her, deciding to deal with the ogre in a minute before she heard her mother scream. Nadia turned sharply and her stomach dropped. The ogre had Bethany in one of his large hands. He roared loudly and slammed his hand into the ground, crushing the younger Hawke sister. Carver yelled and charged at the large beast, brandishing his great sword and slashing unmercifully at it. Nadia shot at the ogre with a bolt of lightning, effectively stopping it's black heart. Once it fell, Nadia ran towards Bethany's body and dropped to her knees. Her lip trembled as she whispered the incantation she needed. Nadia's hands erupted in a blue glow and she ran them down the length of her sister's torso. Nadia looked into her sister's eyes but noticed that they carried no life…they were empty, vacant…

Dead.

Leandra knelt by her Bethany and stroked some of her hair as she let out a large wail.

"No…these things will not have my baby…" she whispered feebly.

Nadia doused her magic and shook her head as a few tears fell from her eyes and landed on Bethany's bloodstained chest.

"She's gone mother…" she said softly.

Leandra looked up at her and narrowed her eyes.

"How could you let this happen, Nadia? You were supposed to look out for her instead of running straight into battle! How could you let her die?" she shouted.

Nadia hung her head in shame. Her mother was right…it _was_ her fault. If she had decided to give all her attention to the ogre to begin with, Bethany would still be here. Nadia swallowed as she closed her sister's eyes with a shaky hand. The rain came again as Wesley walked forward and said a prayer to the Maker for Bethany's soul. Nadia looked up into the clouds as the rain pelted onto her face, mixing with her tears. It was as if the heaven's themselves cried for Bethany's death. Carver helped their mother to her feet.

"She won't be alone, Mother. Father will be there to greet her with open arms."

Leandra said nothing as she continued to stare at Bethany's lifeless body. Nadia lifted her head as she heard another growl in the distance. She raised her staff and turned to the oncoming wave, conjuring a storm of fireballs to rain down on the disgusting creatures. Nadia closed her eyes and could hear the soft, deep whispers of the rage within her. She knew a demon was trying to feed off of her feelings, to try and take her over, but she fortified herself against his whispers and then summoned lightning to kill the remaining Darkspawn. Unfortunately though, even more came into the clearing. Nadia thrust her staff into the ground and conjured more lightning as she refused to let anyone else in her party fall to them. Carver and Aveline slashed at a few of them, but shook their heads.

"There's too many of them!" he shouted.

Just as he said it, another large roar sounded in the distance…but this was not the roar of an ogre. Nadia turned and gasped as a dragon was perched on a nearby cliff. It spread its wings and flew towards them, releasing the talons on its and skewering the Darkspawn that threatened them. It breathed fire, creating a smoke lens that no one could see through. Nadia heard plenty of growling and jaw snapping. Carver and Aveline ran towards her and as the smoke lifted, Nadia saw not a dragon, but a woman standing before them. She was an older woman who had long white hair and piercing yellow eyes. Nadia clenched her staff, wary of the woman. She turned to see Aveline tending to Wesley as he dropped to the ground, holding his uninjured arm.

"My, my…what have we here?" the strange, dragon woman asked.

Nadia narrowed her eyes at her, not dropping her guard for an instant. The woman stepped forward, raising an eyebrow and tilting her head to the side.

"I witnessed something quite amazing from my perch on the cliffs…a mighty ogre vanquished…just who could perform such a feat?"

Nadia furrowed her brow.

"Who are you…and how can you turn into a dragon?" she asked softly.

Aveline looked at her.

"She's a Witch of the Wilds." She stated as she stared at the strange woman.

The witch nodded.

"Some call me that. Also 'Flemeth', 'Asha-Bellanar', 'An old woman who knows too much'."

Nadia slowly lowered her staff. As a child, she had heard many stories of the mysterious witch, Flemeth and how she snatched children away from their parents if they wandered too deep into the Korcari Wilds. Apparently…Flemeth was not a legend.

"Why did you help us?" Carver asked, still holding his blade at the ready.

Flemeth set her cold eyes on him.

"Because I believe that you could help me…and in turn, I may help you. You must be trying to flee the Darkspawn…but keep along this path and you will do anything but. Where is it you wish to go?"

Nadia looked at Carver for a long moment before she sighed and said,

"Gwaren…we want to get to Kirkwall."

Flemeth crossed her arms.

"That is quite a journey…and you are certainly heading in the wrong direction. I, however, am willing to help."

Nadia shook her head.

"There must be a catch." She stated.

Flemeth chuckled.

"There is always a catch! Life itself is a catch! I said before that I thought you useful. Hear my request and agree to it and I will help you safely reach Gwaren."

Carver shook his head.

"I don't like this." He said warily.

Nadia turned her gaze back to the mysterious Flemeth.

"I have no choice. What is it you ask of me?"

Flemeth walked towards her and removed an intricate amulet from around her neck.

"In the mountains of Kirkwall, deep in the Sundermounts, there is a clan of Dalish elves. I ask you to deliver this amulet to their Keeper, Marethari. Do this for me, and any debt between us is paid."

Nadia nodded and took the amulet from Flemeth and placed it in her pocket.

"Very well. I will do this for you." She agreed.

Flemeth smiled.

"I thank you, young mage. Now before we leave…there is something else that must be taken care of." She said as she cast her eyes towards Aveline and an injured Wesley.

Nadia's eyes widened. Wesley resembled the small child that she had tried to heal back in Lothering…he had been bitten by a Darkspawn. Aveline shook her head and stood.

"No, leave him alone!" she yelled.

Flemeth shook her head.

"What has been done to your man cannot be undone, child. He is Tainted."

Nadia looked at her.

"There is no cure?" she asked.

Flemeth sighed.

"The only cure is to become a Grey Warden,"

"And they all died at Ostagar." Aveline finished sadly.

The Witch of the Wilds crossed her arms.

"Not all perished, but the last are now far beyond your reach. You must give him the peace he needs." She stated.

Aveline shook her head and knelt back down next to her husband.

"No! I can't do that I,"

Wesley coughed and stared up at her. Nadia had knelt next to him too, noting how bad he was beginning to look.

"Love please…the Taint is a slow death. I…I can already feel the corruption inside me. End it, Aveline…end it please!" he sputtered out between coughs.

Aveline looked at Nadia, her eyes holding immeasurable amounts of pain. Nadia placed her hand on her shoulder.

"He is your husband, Aveline. The choice is yours but…I would give him the peace he seeks." She whispered.

Aveline swallowed as a tear rolled down her cheek. She turned back to Wesley and caressed the side of his face, nodding slowly, agreeing to be the one to silence him forever. Wesley removed a dagger from his side and handed it to her. He looked into her emerald eyes before closing his own.

"Be strong…my love." He whispered.

Aveline leaned forward and kissed him softly. She pulled away and closed her eyes as she thrust his dagger into his chest, puncturing through his armor and skin…eventually piercing his heart. Wesley coughed up some blood as his breathing slowed. His body soon fell limp in Aveline's arms. Aveline pulled herself away from him and closed his eyes with her trembling hand. Nadia helped her stand as Aveline swallowed and tried not to lose herself to her emotions.

Flemeth bowed her head.

"I am sorry for your loss. But he is at peace now. Come, I shall take you safely to Gwaren."

Nadia wasn't exactly sure how they would get there from their current location…and thought for one mad moment that she and the others were going to fly there on Flemeth's back…but it turned out that it would be nothing so fanciful. Flemeth led them away from the clearing and it looked as if they were going to head back to Lothering, but instead of heading straight, they turned right and went through another forested area. For a while it looked like Flemeth was just leading them in circles…but somehow they managed to make it to the outskirts of Gwaren within a few hours. Magic had to have played a part…Nadia just knew it. Regardless, however, she was grateful for finally arriving at the outskirts of the port village. She had turned to thank Flemeth, but the mysterious witch had disappeared completely. Nadia shivered again as a cold wind flew past her. She took a deep breath as they continued walking, breathing in the salty air of the sea. Upon reaching the ship, there was already a large line that had formed, full of others who had lost their homes and families. Many people stood crying, huddled together trying to comfort one another.

"I need to send a letter to your uncle in Kirkwall to let him know that we're coming…" Leandra said softly.

She wandered off to the nearby messenger bird cage and selected a fine bird. She quickly scribbled a message on a piece of scrap paper sitting nearby and hooked it to the bird's leg. Nadia watched as her mother released the bird and walked back over to stand next to Carver. She turned to look at Aveline to find her staring off in the distance, probably lost in a memory of Wesley. It was another hour before Nadia and her family boarded the ship along with Aveline. They were sent below deck to join the other refugees. Blankets were in short supply, but Nadia managed to snag one. Leandra sat near Carver and rested her head on his shoulder, pulling her cloak tight against her, and breathing in its scent since it was Bethany's. Aveline sat off in a corner by herself, her back turned to everyone else. Nadia noticed her shoulders moved up and down often and realized she must've been crying. She sat down by herself as well, near a large crate and rested her back against it. Nadia dried what she could of herself and wrapped the wool blanket around her shoulders. The fabric scratched up against her skin, but warmed her nonetheless. Within just hours she lost not only her home, but her sister…possibly her mother too since she was sure Leandra would never speak to her again. Nadia reached into her pocket and pulled out Gregory's ring. She held it between her fingers and turned it to the light as tears filled her eyes.

_He loved me the whole time…_she thought to herself.

Nadia pressed his ring against her lips as she remembered their kiss. Thinking of it, she refused to consider it a kiss goodbye…but realized that's what it was. There was no possible way he could've survived…not with that many Darkspawn. Nadia closed her eyes and shook her head. She refused to think of the worst…and tried with all her might to remain positive. But looking at the faces of those around her, all of them held eyes that were puffy and red from crying so much. It was hard to be hopeful when so much death surrounded her. Nadia noticed a piece of twine nearby and picked it up. It was fairly long, so she slipped Gregory's ring on it and tied a not in the sturdy string. She slipped it over her head and around her neck. His ring rested atop her heart and Nadia placed her own atop it. She rested her head against the side of the ship and closed her eyes, praying to the Maker that the ship would traverse the stormy seas safely and she could get her family to Kirkwall in one piece.

**A/N: **_I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter! I'll try and have the next one out as soon as I can! Thanks so much for reading! :)_


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